West Orlando residents will have better access to fresh fruits and vegetables with the grand opening this Saturday of the Parramore Farmers Market. Starting on Jan. 6, the Parramore Farmers Market will be open every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The market is located outside the Orlando City Soccer Stadium on the east…
Florida had one of the nation’s strongest performances in small business growth through last year, according to a new study. The study, known as the Paychex IHS Markit Small Business Employment Watch, found that Florida ranked third overall in small business growth across the country, led by only Tennessee and Washington. With that, the study…
By now many guests are familiar with the talking Mickey Mouse that meets guests on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom. The talking Mickey is part of the Living Character initiative that Disney has been working on since 2003. The first big rollout was the Dream Along With Mickey castle stage show debut at the Magic…
2017 saw plenty of big additions at the area’s theme parks, and come 2019 we’ll see the biggest addition likely since the opening of the original Wizarding World area at Islands of Adventure when Star Wars opens at Hollywood Studios. While 2018 will be nothing compared to what’s to come, plenty of big changes are…
After more than two decades the re-election campaign of Main Street Mayor George Weaver has come to an end. The well-known Magic Kingdom streetmosphere actor passed away on Christmas Eve at the age of 84. The Florida native has a performing career stretching more than 60 years including stints in New York City, the Poconos,…
Happy New Year! Welcome back to Orlando Weekly’s “Band of the Week.” Every week, we highlight one of our favorite local bands. This week, we’re pleased to bring you Cool Grandma. Cool Grandma is playing Friday, Jan.5 at the Falcon with Expert Timing, Pictures of Vernon, and Trendy Dog with Sunglasses. Just the facts: When…
In what could be a heavily debated issue during the 2018 legislative session, a Senate Republican has filed a bill that would prevent local governments from regulating vacation rental properties. Sen. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota, filed the proposal (SB 1400) to give regulatory power to the state. Vacation rentals include properties such as single-family homes that…
More than 1.1 million Florida voters won’t have a representative in one of the legislative chambers when the 2018 session begins next month. Resignations and a recent death have created six open seats, with most expected to remain vacant through the 60-day session because of scheduling requirements for special elections. The vacancies do little to…
State gambling regulators Friday published an emergency rule for drug testing of racing greyhounds, a week after an administrative law judge rejected procedures that have been used to collect and process urine samples. The state Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering, in a notice published in the Florida Administrative Register, said it disagrees with the decision by…
Miami Beach wants the Florida Supreme Court to take up a battle about whether the city can move forward with a local minimum wage. The city this week filed a notice that it is appealing a Dec. 13 decision by the 3rd District Court of Appeal that rejected the local minimum wage, which was approved…
Orlando is testing out nighttime “passenger loading zones” in the downtown area that will make it easier for visitors to catch an Uber, Lyft or taxi ride. City officials say they’re trying to curb the effects of “the push” that happens when downtown bars and clubs stop selling alcohol at 2 a.m. and push out…
One is the loneliest number — and in this case, that loneliest number is Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach. On Dec. 19, Gaetz cast the lone “no” vote on a widely bipartisan human trafficking bill that passed unanimously through the U.S. Senate in September before sailing through the House by a count of 418…
Jay Malsky, the man who recently chanted “Lock him up” at the Donald Trump robot at Disney World’s Hall of Presidents, says that anyone upset with his outburst needs to “check their privilege.” The actor and comedian recently spoke to The Wrap, and cited Trump’s stance on DACA, the LGBTQ community and his trillion dollar…
Kasa Tapas and Raw Bar, located inside downtown Orlando’s Chase Plaza, will soon transform into a casual taco joint. The company confirmed the rebranding this afternoon. The tapas spot will close Dec. 31 and reopen Jan. 23 as Chela Tequila and Tacos, reports Brendan O’Connor of the Bungalower. Don’t worry, brunch and UnWine’d Wednesdays will still…
One of the Gainesville police officers whose “hot cop” selfie went viral after Hurricane Irma is no longer with the force after his Facebook posts surfaced, revealing a propensity for Hitler jokes. Michael Hamill, who had been with the Gainesville Police Department since October 2016, officially resigned on Dec. 6, reports the Gainesville Sun Times. Hamill resigned…
While some folks are trying to remember where they hid their stash, some members of Florida’s medical marijuana industry are figuring out where to put their money. First Green Bank, an Orlando-based community bank, started handling accounts for six of the state’s seven licensed medical marijuana producers in September, including Trulieve, Green Solutions and Surterra.…
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio put his spinelessness on full display Friday after he admitted the GOP tax bill “probably went too far” on helping corporations. Well, duh. Multiple analysts said the $1.5 trillion tax overhaul would primarily benefit the wealthy and corporations. The Republican measure included the “largest one-time rate cut in U.S. history for…
A Tallahassee judge Thursday ordered health officials to stop the process of granting a marijuana license to a black farmer, one of 10 coveted new pot licenses approved by the Legislature this year. The state Office of Medical Marijuana Use was supposed to grant all of the licenses by Oct. 3, but has not begun…
According to a report released by the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, the number of juvenile arrests in Florida hit a record low in the last fiscal year. Across Florida, juvenile arrests declined by another seven percent since the fiscal year 2015-2016, marking a 24 percent overall decline in the past five years. The historically…
DJs Suzy Solar and Brian Benning celebrate 20 years of DJing this week. In celebration, they’re taking over Peek for a trip down memory lane, playing classic trance tunes from their early years. Get in free if you get there in the first hour. 10 p.m. Saturday; Peek Downtown, 50 E. Central Blvd.; free-$10 Related…
Nightlife is dominated by New Year’s Eve this week, but if you can’t wait until Sunday night to go out, consider this Rolling Stones tribute show at Will’s Pub. A bunch of favorite local rockers like Brian Chodorcoff, Jeff Nolan and Phil Longo cover their favorite tunes from the world’s greatest British rock & roll…
Break out the honey nougat glacé because it’s parade time in Orlando – we’re about to celebrate a local icon! Wait, what? We don’t have a honey nougat glacé float on hand? None of you know what glacé means? Oh well, I guess we’ll have to do with our regular degular schmegular Florida Citrus Parade.…
Now in its 50th year, the seventh-oldest collegiate bowl game in the nation presents a top-ranked matchup between the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-3) and the Louisiana State University Tigers (9-3). With Notre Dame’s hard-nosed offense lining up across from LSU’s chain-gang of a defense, it’s a matchup that’ll remain as much of…
When state lawmakers met during the 2017 legislative session, one of the biggest issues was a bill backed by Senate President Joe Negron to revamp how water flows in parts of South Florida. Lawmakers aren’t considering such a major piece of environmental legislation as they prepare for the 2018 session. But they have started moving…
In many ways, Hurricane Irma was a literal shit storm, and some places were shittier than others. During and after the hurricane, Seminole County led all other Central Florida counties in reported sewage spills with 122, says WMFE. Orange County wasn’t too far behind, with a total of 103 sewage accidents. One of the more…
Another contender has entered the Milk District scene. Iron Cow Cafe recently opened in the revamped space at 2438 E. Robinson St. The new spot features a full bar and kitchen, with a menu spanning bites like baguette sandwiches, cheese pita pizzas and empanadas. As of now, Iron Cow hosts live music on Fridays and…
Taking over the former Graffiti Junktion space in Thornton Park, the new Truck Stop Pop-Up Kitchen will soft-open Friday evening. The new concept, which will allow a new food truck, chef or catering company to take over the space every week, will host a soft opening at 8 p.m. Dec. 29, at 900 E. Washington…
Hurricane Irma romped Duke Energy’s coverage area across Florida, and because of that, the company says it needs customers to ante up a little more on their bills for next several years. The company reportedly wants customers to pay $400 million in storm costs, as well as help restore Duke’s $132 million storm reserve fund.…
This story has been updated with comments from OneBlood. A documentary about the anonymous blood donors and OneBlood staff who saved the lives of Pulse survivors will be making its worldwide debut Dec. 31. on Amazon Prime Video. Lifeline: The Untold Story of Saving the Pulse Survivors reunites five survivors of the 2016 mass shooting at the gay…
Because perhaps Robert Mueller’s investigation into possible collusion between Russia and the Trump administration isn’t enough, a concerned citizen is now demanding we lock up Disney’s Trump robot. Yesterday, a guest identified as Jay Malsky filmed himself yelling “Lock him up” throughout the Trump-bot’s speech at the Disney World Hall of Presidents. During the video…
If you’re looking to start a new career in 2018, Weeki Wachee Springs State Park is holding auditions for its mermaid squad. The park will hold open auditions for any potential mermaids or mermen interested in making $10 an hour to swim year-round in 72-degree spring water. The first audition, which takes place Jan. 13 at…
As the state House plows through a long and potentially expensive menu of options to recover from Hurricane Irma and brace for Florida’s next hurricane, Senate President Joe Negron is confident the storm that walloped the state in September won’t blow a hole in the upcoming budget. But potential public and private costs from Irma…
So you managed to survive 2017. Start 2018 off on the right foot by wasting no time in getting some hair of the dog in you. Choose from brunch offerings at all three Market on Magnolia vendors and post up at a table for a day of bloody marys, beer and football. New year, old…
Taking all the tiresome decision-making out of New Year’s Eve – the kind of endless back-and-forth dithering that can have you dazedly watching Ryan Seacrest do his best Dick Clark-as-a-mannequin in Times Square routine while you eat dip without chips before you know it – the Will’s Complex of Will’s Pub, Lil Indies and Dirty…
Team Market Group, the entertainment entrepreneurs behind concepts like Tier, Ono and Mathers Social Gathering offers up a preview of their latest project, Celine, on New Year’s Eve. Taking over the space previously occupied by Vain, Celine sports a large dance floor, a second-floor lounge and a rooftop bar. It’s going to be a year…
DJ BMF devotes his Friday night residency at Lil Indies this week to the late-’80s phenomenon known as freestyle. The genre, a deceptively sweet mix of disco, hip-hop and house, was big for a couple of years in New York, Miami and a few other spots, and is still beloved by many of a certain…
I got drunk last weekend and read all 2,735 tweets that Donald Trump has written since the election in the hopes that Trump’s Twitter feed (collected and searchable on trumptwitterarchive.com, by the way) might be a good way to get a sense of the horrors we’ve endured. Looking at the tweets was like reliving all…
The free world waits on no one — except, well, maybe its leader. On Monday afternoon, as empty gift stockings and shredded wrapping paper still laid scattered across living-room floors nationwide, President Trump took the time to send his best wishes to the general public via Twitter — as he has a tendency to do,…
Did you know that Uniqlo is Florida’s most popular chain? Do you even know what Uniqlo is? No? It’s OK, because there’s literally only one location in the entire state. A recent article from Business Insider attempts to identify each state’s most popular “department stores, clothing stores, and big box store chains” by using arguably…
It was basically impossible in 2016 to walk into a restaurant without wading through braised pork belly, chicken and waffles, avocado on everything and “fusion” tacos, and 2017 brought its own batch of overexposed trends we’ve just had about enough of. Here are 10 we hope will stay right here in this dumpster fire of…
Eschewing their usual program of improvisatory exploration of sprawling banks of analog synth technology, this New Year’s Eve Eve edition of monthly electronic music night Moloko Plus is widening the focus a little. First up, you’ve got Russell Parker’s Harsh Radish, who will be providing a real-time New Order-esque tutorial on how electronics can exist…
Not the tepid 2006 remake but rather the pulpy, pitch-black 1974 original, Black Christmas is not only the best holiday-themed slasher flick right after the first two Halloweens (with apologies to John Waters’ fave, Christmas Evil), but the finest cinematic rendering of the urban-legend staple “The killer is calling from inside the house!” ever attempted.…
Over the past 12 months, the Fairwinds Broadway series brought several unsatisfying adaptations of beloved films to Orlando’s Dr. Phillips Center (I’m looking at you, Little Mermaid and Finding Neverland), so I was understandably apprehensive about ending my theater-going year with yet another awful screen-to-stage musical. Merrily, instead of the lump of coal I feared,…
Earlier this year, the entire country got to find out what Orlandoans have known for a long time: Preacher Lawson is a star. The comedian made it to the Top-10 bracket of the 12th season of NBC’s hit competition show, America’s Got Talent. Lawson makes a homecoming appearance for the holidays at the Orlando Improv…
Top tastes: The everyday indulgences that kept us coming back
I have been with my unicorn boyfriend for four months. The sexual chemistry between us is out of this world! I’m a woman who’s very open-minded when it comes to trying new things: I’ve had threesomes and foursomes, tried every toy on the market, done anal sex, BDSM and many other things. He is sexually…
Can you believe it? It’s the last column of 2017. We made it. Wasn’t so sure for a while. Maybe I’m still not. But, besides being one year closer to the abyss, you know what that means. Yes, yes, y’all, it’s TLU’s annual Underground Awards, where I lay down some of the highlights that defined…
The year of our oh-lord-what-now
OW’s music writers weigh in on the shows that moved them the most this year
Disney union workers reject company’s latest offer on wage increase: Thousands of Disney union workers in Orlando overwhelmingly rejected the theme park company’s proposed pay raise, which union leaders called “poverty wages.” When negotiations started, union leaders wanted an increase for workers to $15 per hour. Out of the 38,000 cast members the unions represent,…
Traditionally, I devote my last Live Active Cultures column of each year to highlights and lowlights from Orlando’s theaters and theme parks over the preceding 12 months. But 2017 turned out to be the year when good became bad, right became wrong, and collusion became kosher. Rather than lament the fact that we all now…
